A Rare Chance at the Tomb of the Unknowns
Maria Cramer
Reporting on the tomb's centennial
The public was allowed to approach the Tomb of the Unknowns for two days this week, after decades of being kept away. The guarded site in Arlington, Va., was not always treated with such reverence.
After the Tomb of the Unknown Solder was placed in 1921, visitors used it as a picnic table and for taking pictures. Some couples were “excessively romantic” on it, a historian said.
Veterans grew furious and demanded protections. In 1948, the Third U.S. Infantry Regiment, the Army’s oldest active-duty infantry unit, was assigned to guard the tomb at all hours
On Tuesday and Wednesday, the public was invited back to commemorate the tomb’s centennial. More than 13,000 people registered to visit and place flowers at the burial ground.
Members of the Crow Nation placed flowers first, in recognition of the role Chief Plenty Coups played in 1921, when he laid a war bonnet on the tomb.
Some visitors saluted. Others placed a hand over their heart or bowed. One man struggled to salute the tomb as his toddler wriggled out of his arms and lunged for the flowers.
Story of the Tomb of the Unknowns:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VH37fvDcqU8&t=19s
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This post has been edited 1 time(s), it was last edited by ElectricWhite on 11-11-2021 at 01:03.
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